Manufacturers of consumer goods often apply colors or performance fluids (such as lotion, adhesives, softeners and the like) to their products. For example, paper towel, toilet tissue, and/or facial tissue products often incorporate printed patterns, softening agents and the like. Likewise, the packaging for consumer products (e.g., films, cardboards, etc.) incorporate printed patterns or performance fluids. To date, manufacturers have mostly relied on a single printing apparatus, such as roll, to apply a single fluid. Moreover, manufacturers are plagued with challenges related to their inability to precisely control fluid flow and application at high processing rates. Manufacturers may use moving rolls having primarily axial fluid flow and/or primarily circumferential fluid flow which results in uneven fluid distribution and lack of fluid reaching parts of the rolls. In addition, such designs limit the number and sizes of fluid channels that may be incorporated into the device and limit the location of the fluid orifices stemming from those channels in a way that undermines precision. Alternatively, manufacturers use printing plates and flat surfaces, which result in slower processing or imprecision when running at high rates as the printing plate may not be able to keep up with the moving substrate.
Known devices also suffer from imprecise registration, overlaying and blending of fluids. Because a single device is often used for a single fluid, registration, overlaying, and blending between multiple fluids requires the use of more than one device. The inherent imprecision in each known device results in imprecision when trying to register (etc.) their respective fluids. Indeed, because the inability to control fluid flow and application and other factors in each device, known devices often are not able to precisely register fluids with other fluids or product features such as embossments or sealing areas.
Further, manufacturers are faced with higher production costs and resources due to their inability to separately control different fluids in one printing device.
Therefore, there is a need for an apparatus for depositing more than one fluid on a substrate. Further, there is a need for a controllable and/or customizable apparatus for depositing fluid(s) that permits more precise fluid deposition. Further still, there is a need for an efficient process for, and decreased manufacturing costs associated with, depositing one or more fluids on a substrate.